Crews working to repair leaking gasoline pipeline

9/27/2006

Soil in East Toledo was believed to have been saturated yesterday by gasoline that leaked from a pipeline affiliated with the Sunoco Inc. refinery.

The leak, reported shortly before 4 p.m., was traced to a pipeline on Van Buren Avenue near Mechanic Street. The pipeline is owned by a Sunoco subsidiary, Sunoco Logistics.

Olivia Summons, a Sunoco spokesman, said the leak was discovered during a routine inspection, and that the line was promptly shut down.

An Ohio Environmental Protection Agency official noticed a strong gasoline odor emanating from the soil, but not enough material to cause a puddle or flow freely, said Dina Pierce, an agency spokesman.

Crews were attempting last night to plug the leak and begin excavating the contaminated soil, Ms. Pierce said.